When referee Terj Hauge's culminating whistle rang through the Stade De France in Paris on Wednesday night, Barcelona were finally second-time champions of Europe, a torrent of celebration was unleashed on the Catalan capital, and the 2005-2006 European soccer season essentially came to a close. And while this time of year can leave soccer fans longing to go into summer-long hibernation, the impending World Cup proceedings make the conclusion a bit easier to stomach.

So with an eye on both the World Cup, and the major European professional leagues, here's a rundown of several important themes (beyond the unanswerable "who's going to win the World Cup?") developing as the temperatures rise and the days get longer.

The Fitness Race: Strikers on the Mend

Several prohibitive favorites to lift the cup in Germany are heading into the competition with influential stars hobbling. While it's not uncommon at the end of a long season to find national teams with injury problems, the race to get several of the game's best strikers fit could have a huge impact on the outcome of the competition.

In England, all eyes are on the Manchester United training facilities, where the Red Devils' medical staff is working around the clock to get prodigious young striker Wayne Rooney healthy enough to participate in the tournament. Rooney broke a metatarsal bone in his right foot late in Manchester United's 3-0 defeat to league winners Chelsea on April 29. Many experts viewed Rooney as the key component in England's campaign to win their first World Cup since 1966. But it now appears unlikely that Rooney will be healthy in time for England's first match against Paraguay on June 10, if he's able to compete at all.

England supporters hope to see this scene replicated in Germany this summer.

The loss of Rooney, combined with the questionable fitness of strike partner Michael Owen, leaves England supporters wondering where the goals will come from in Germany. It appears Peter Crouch will be a candidate to start up front, a prospect that hardly inspires confidence among the British football public. The 6'7" Crouch has demonstrated prowess in the air and an ability to maintain possession in attack this season, but has yet to prove a consistent goal scorer against quality opposition. Manager Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to bring untested 17-year-old Theo Walcott along as the final striker has only added to concerns. So an entire nation of football fanatics spends every morning scanning the daily papers for the slightest update on the condition of a single, solitary foot.

The injury news is much more positive for the Italian strike force. Roma forward/midfielder  Francesco Totti, who broke his left leg and strained ligaments in his left ankle in February, appears to be ready to play. Totti's participation in the World Cup was believed to be in serious doubt immediately following the injury, but the 29-year-old star has defied his doctors' predictions and made a near miraculous turnaround. 

Totti was able to make a brief appearance for Roma off the bench in the second leg of their Italian Cup final loss to Inter Milan last week. While the Italian roster is loaded with world-class strikers, the loss of Totti would have been devastating for Italy, considered favorites by many. Totti's value goes beyond his ability to score goals. He is one of the game's fiercest competitors, and his tenacity on the pitch intimidates opponents and inspires teammates. It remains to be seen just how effective Totti will be, but even at less than full strength, he should be prepared to reclaim his position at the emotional core of a very dangerous Italian side.

Argentinean prodigy Leonel Messi also looks to be ready to return to the field after a March thigh injury sidelined him for the final stages of Barcelona's Champions League run. At 18-years-old Messi has catapulted past Wayne Rooney to become soccer's highest regarded young player, even drawing comparisons in his native country to national deity Diego Maradona. He was having a phenomenal season for Barcelona before coming up lame during the Champions League tie with Chelsea, and will be working hard in training to regain that dominant form.

If the talented Argentineans hope erase the memory of their disastrous first round exit in 2002, and become the first South American nation to win a World Cup held in Europe since Brazil in 1958, they will need Lionel Messi at full strength, utilizing his blazing speed and creativity in attack to break down defenses. If he is unable to regain his otherworldly form, the Argentineans could find themselves struggling once again to get out of their first round group, which promises to be the most difficult in the tournament.

A healthy Leonel Messi could make all the difference for the dangerous Argentineans.

Juiced-Up Transfer Activity (AKA the Bonds Market)

During the summer months soccer reporters must sit in tiny rooms, wracking their brains to generate stories that will keep their audience satiated until fall. The daily editions of international sports pages and internet sites are filled with more rumors and innuendo than Paris Hilton's cell phone the morning after the Grammys. Every imaginable player is rumored to be heading to every imaginable club. If you think the days leading up to the Major League Baseball trading deadline are eventful, you've never experienced the "silly season" in all its glory.

Transfer dealings tend to be even more extensive and bizarre during World Cup summers. The pressure of the event is so intense, and the spotlight so encompassing, that two or three impressive performances can turn a virtually unknown player into a highly sought-after millionaire overnight.

In 2002 Senegalese striker El Hadji Diouf rode the crest of World Cup success to a big time payday. The reigning African Player of the Year had spent the season playing for mid-table Lens of France's Ligue 1. Diouf set up the lone goal for his team in a 1-0 upset of defending champions France in the first game of the tournament, and then continued his impressive play as the Senegalese made a surprise run to the quarterfinals. Shortly after Senegal lost its quarterfinal match to Turkey, English giants Liverpool bought Diouf from Lens for ten million pounds.

El Hadji Diouf; Great Games in the 2002 World Cup: 5. Great games in two seasons with Liverpool: 0

With so many teams still playing with their starting lineups ahead of their final warmup friendlies, it is difficult to predict just who the breakout stars of this Cup will be. But several American players could be a stellar performance or two away from making their way to bigger professional challenges abroad. One likely candidate is Oguchi Onyewu, who has reportedly been generating interest from clubs in England. The big, bruising defender currently anchors the backline for Standard De Liege in Belgium, and will be starting for the Americans in Germany. If he is able to hold his own against the likes of Francesco Totti, Luca Toni, Milan Baros, and Jan Koller in the first round, he could wind up making a splash in one of Europe's better leagues next season.

Fantasy Football: Just How Far Will Chelsea Go?

Anyone who saw the recent VH1 program The Fabulous Life of Filthy Rich Billionaires knows that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovitch is a competitive dude. The Russian magnate is currently engaged in the world's largest small-penis-overcompensation-contest, secretly building a mega yacht designed to be a few feet longer and far more lavish than any other living billionaire's boat. If he's willing to drop millions on a dingy, just imagine how badly he wants to improve already successful Chelsea Football Club.

Really, it's bigger than you would think. No, I promise, it's huge.

Chelsea dominated the Premier League en route to their second straight title. But this was also the second straight season in which the blues failed to win every single trophy available to them. Abramovitch and manager Jose Mourinho have already begun to bolster their roster and reamain atop the Premiership, as well as capture next season's Champions League and FA Cup trophies.

Already burdened with one of the sport's heftiest payrolls, the London club this week agreed to pay German midfield ace Michael Ballack a staggering 120,000 pounds per week. It appears that 33-year-old left back Roberto Carlos is close to signing from Real Madrid. There is also rampant speculation that the club is heavily pursuing highly coveted Argentinean striker Carlos Tevez, as well as superstar AC Milan forward Andriy Shevchenko. It is possible that before next season begins Chelsea will have dropped over 100 Million pounds in transfer fees over the span of a few short months. The men in charge at Stamford Bridge are determined to maintain their stranglehold on English football and establish domination over all of Europe. It will be compelling to see just how far they are willing to go to make that happen. Perhaps the question to ask in all of this craziness is, just how small is the Chelsea penis?

Elections at the Bernebeau: Is Henry the VIII Eligible for the Real Madrid Presidency?

The world's wealthiest club will be holding presidential elections in early July. The lucky candidate elected to the position will have quite a job on their hands, inheriting an aging, underachieving, and overpaid roster of players, along with the astronomical expectations of the most demanding supporters in professional sports. Although a clear front runner for the position has yet to emerge, rest assured the new boss' office will come equipped with a shiny new guillotine.

Real Madrid fans are a restless bunch. Sorry dude, you should've never signed Woodgate!

If the situation was dire on Tuesday after a third consecutive season without a trophy, archrival Barcelona's triumph in Wednesday's Champions League final must be sending the Real brain trust into a rabid frenzy.  The decadent "galacticos" ideology the team adopted several years ago (filling the team with as many superstars as money could buy, chemistry and defense be damned) will undoubtedly be scrapped to make way for a new, more sensible strategy. Once the club president has been elected, and a new manager appointed, we could see some, or most, of the club's celebrity players on the way out.

Zinedine Zidane is retiring after the World Cup, and has already played his last game for the Madrilenos. David Beckham has expressed a desire to finish his career with Real, but will he accept the potential reality of a reduced role as the club brings in younger talent? Will legendary strikers Raul and Ronaldo be jettisoned to create more playing time for last summer's Brazilian signings Robinho and Julio Batista? Is Roberto Carlos already on his way out? Will Michel Salgado be dumped for a defenseman that actually defends?  All of these questions should be answered emphatically once leadership of the club is determined. And as is usually the case, the personnel moves made at Real Madrid will effect the direction taken by numerous clubs throughout Europe.

My bold prediction: Beckham ends up moving back to England, Ronaldo returns to Italy, super-creep England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson takes over as manager, and Real finish behind champions Barcelona for the third consecutive year.

But Posh, you said I'd win like, loads of trophies here in Espanol! You also said we'd have a faucet that dispensed hair gel!

Just as there is nothing in the sporting world that rivals the passion and intensity associated with football and the World Cup, there is nothing in the sports world that rivals the off-the-field insanity associated with a World Cup summer. Sit back, relax, and watch the events unfold in all of their slapstick madness.

**Note: I had intended to touch on the developing scandals in Italian football, but with each new public allegation it becomes clearer that this story is too complex to cover in passing. I'm planning future posts dedicated to the disturbing corruption now being exposed at the highest levels of Italian soccer.